LC:M Interview - Christopher Raeburn

As preparations for the second London Collections: Men from 7-9 January
get underway, GQ brings you an exclusive preview
of the shows with a series of designer and industry insider
Q&As. Today, go behind the scenes with Christopher
Raeburn...

GQ: What was your inspiration behind the
collection? Christopher Raeburn: I've had a
long-standing obsession with the Redsand sea forts off the coast of
Whitstable. They were built during WWII to serve as defensive gun
platforms to help protect London. My inspiration has really come
from re-imagining these structures for modern life and the garments
that you might need to operate there. As always we're careful to
bring the collection into a wearable format, but it's been really
interesting to use the sea forts as a starting point. So many of
our fabrics in the "Remade" range for this season are really
functional and lend themselves towards that environment.

Which man, alive or dead, could you see wearing your
collection? [Explorers] Sir Edmund
Hillary or Chris Bonington.

What is your favourite piece from the
season? Our new "Remade" pop-out parka. It's constructed from
Royal Air Force foul weather trousers and original Fifties
rubberised capes - the garment is seam sealed and part-lined with
original Seventies aeronautical maps. What is unique (apart from
the amazing fabrics of the outershell) is that this parka has a
detachable, quilted inner jacket that's entirely constructed from
recycled materials (see sketch).

Which other designer or brand are you most looking
forward to seeing? I'm a big fan of Agi & Sam and I'm always interested to see
what's Aitor Throup's got up his sleeve as well.

Which new British designer or label would you like to
see show at LC:M next season?
I like the story and thinking behind Private White V.C.

What is London's most stylish street for people
spotting? Maybe it's a cliché but I quite like Redchurch Street - the curious mix of shops
and the fact it's a cut-through to Brick Lane means that you get
some real characters wandering through.

What's your favourite place in London? I don't get there enough but I've always loved Chiswick
boot fair - you can find just about anything. In the summer it's
got hundreds of stands.

What's your go-to eau de cologne?
Wonderwood by Commes des Garcons.

How will you celebrate after your
show/presentation? Boring as it may sound it's always nice to go for a few
drinks and to say thanks to the team.

What's the most unexpectedly stylish movie?The Last Days of the Arctic by Ragnar
Axelsson

Take a photo of something stylish in your studio on your
phone for our Instagram (@BritishGQ). Why have you chosen
this? I've taken a photo of this season's new animal - a rat.
Each season we do a different stuffed animal to use up all the
off-cuts at the studio. We give one to each of our stockists to say
thank you, but now they've become as hotly anticipated as the
collection itself.